'Troubled'

Herman Cain keeps reaching for the same word to describe the women accusing him of personal misconduct: “troubled.”

That’s a term he applied to Sharon Bialek, the former National Restaurant Association employee who alleged in a press conference earlier this month that Cain groped her when she asked for help finding a job.

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Cain responded to Bialek’s claims by declaring that “the Democrat machine in America has brought forth a troubled woman to make accusations.” His campaign also blasted out an email on Nov. 8, saying that Bialek had a “long and troubled history, from the courts to personal finances.”

Tuesday night, Cain sent an email to his campaign list using the same description for Ginger White, the woman who claimed this week that she carried on a 13-year affair with the candidate. White, Cain’s message said, is “a troubled Atlanta business woman [who] used national media outlets to promulgate a fabricated, unsubstantiated story.”

It happens to be true that both Bialek and White have a history of legal problems, but “troubled” is a loaded word that can also imply mental or emotional instability. That’s an insinuation that could backfire on Cain, as fewer voters are willing to trust his word over his accusers’.

UPDATE: White said during a Wednesday "Good Morning America" appearance said it was "unfortunate" that Cain would describe her in this way. "It’s very disappointing that he would call me troubled," she said. "I’m not here to say anything negative about Mr. Cain. I’m only here to state the truth and what’s happened in the past."